What to do if…
you need to renew or replace your passport abroad and cannot get an appointment in time

What to do now

1. Write down the next journey you are trying to make. Use one line: “I need to travel on [date] from [country] to [country], transiting [countries].” This matters because an Emergency Travel Document is usually issued for one single or return journey, and your travel plans may be printed on it.

2. Choose the route that matches your timing.

   • If your travel is not urgent, start or continue the official overseas British passport application route.
   • If you need to travel within 6 weeks and cannot renew or replace your UK passport from abroad before you travel, check the Emergency Travel Document route.
   • An Emergency Travel Document is generally for a British national outside the UK whose UK passport is lost, stolen, damaged, full, recently expired, or with HM Passport Office or a foreign embassy.

3. Check whether an Emergency Travel Document will work for your route. Before relying on it, check whether it will be accepted in the country you are leaving, the country you are entering, and any transit countries. Also check whether you need a visa for any part of that journey.

4. Apply through the correct official route.

   • If you have had a valid UK passport issued on or after 1 January 2006, use the online Emergency Travel Document application route if you meet the other conditions.
   • If you have not had a UK passport issued on or after 1 January 2006, check the official instructions before applying; you may need to use the contact-form route and show urgent exceptional circumstances.
   • If you are applying for a full passport instead, use the overseas passport application route for the country you are in.

5. Handle a lost or stolen passport in the right order. If you are applying for an Emergency Travel Document, follow that application process; your old passport will usually be cancelled as part of it. If you are not applying for an Emergency Travel Document, cancel a lost or stolen passport as soon as possible through the official lost or stolen passport service.

6. Get ready for the first workable appointment or collection instruction. Keep these together and easy to send or show:

   • your travel date, full route, and booking reference if you already have one
   • a digital passport photo that meets the passport photo rules
   • a phone number, email address, and payment card if available
   • any passport number, photocopy, scan, or photo you still have
   • any other government ID you have with you
   • any application reference number
   • if the passport was stolen, a local police report if it is safe and quick to get one, or if you are told it is needed

7. If you cannot get an appointment slot, contact the official consular route clearly. Use the nearest British embassy, high commission, or consulate contact route and give:

   • your full name and date of birth
   • where you are now
   • whether the passport is lost, stolen, damaged, expired, full, or held by an authority
   • your travel date, destination, and transit countries
   • why the travel cannot wait
   • any Emergency Travel Document or passport application reference

8. Do not widen the plan unless it is safe and lawful. You can check whether another British consular location can handle your case, but only travel there if you can enter or move through that place lawfully and safely. Keep checking for appointment cancellations, but do not rely on unofficial booking help.